Mechanism for arranging musical-instrument parts.



P. B. KLUGH. MECHANISM FOR ARRANGING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PARTS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1909.

1,011,138. Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

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P. B. KLUGH. MECHANISM FOR ARRANGING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PARTS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1909.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4 SHEET 5.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

6 SHEETS P. B. KLUGH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1909 MECHANISM FOR ARRANGING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PARTS.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6) Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

P. B. KLUGH,

( fl r 1 I a I l l 1 I I I I l l I l x 13 I APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1909 MECHANISM FOR ARRANGING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PARTS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL BROWN KLUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CABLE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MECHANISM FOR ARRANGING MUSICALJNSTRUMENT PARTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL BROWN KLUGH,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in' l\['echanism for Arranging Musical-Instrument Parts, of which the following is a specification.

l\fly invention relates to that class of mu- 1o sical instruments having pedals which may be folded or otherwise disposed within the instrument case when not in use and more particularly to pianos or similar instruments provided with interior player-mechanism in s which pedals, manually-operahle devices and possibly other parts concerned with such mechanism may he alternately exposed or arranged for use and disposed within or concealed by the case.

The object of the invention is to provide handy and easilyoperable means to expose and arrange parts of such an instrument for use and automatically-operating means which may be set. in operation at will to assist in disposing and concealing them.

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section upon the line 1-1, Fig. 3, of the lower part of a player-piano embodying enough of the usual parts to demonstrate the application of my invention and showing the pedals disposed within the case together with the closed position of parts of the case designed to conceal the pedals and the manuallyoperable devices. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, upon the line 2-2, Fig. el, show ing the pedals arranged for operation and a part of the case moved outwardly to expose the manually-operable devices and fun 'nisli a support for the wrists of the operlo ator. The lower front panel has been removed. Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation the lower central and left-hand end por tion of the instrumentwith the lower front panel removed to disclose the position of the parts for arranging the pedals when the pedals are disposedwithin the case. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig 3, showing the pedals arranged for operation and the adjusted position of the parts for so arranging them. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the lower ffont panel in place and a closure moved across the pedal aperture therein. part of the upper edge of the panel being broken away to better disclose the relative positions of the pedal-arranging and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 9, 1909.

better disclose the location of the Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

Serial No. 506,767.

closure-moving devices. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan View upon the line 66, Fig. 2, part of the key-bed being broken away to parts positioned directly thereunder.

This invention concerns a modification of the construction described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,002,282, granted to me September 5th, 1911, and is considered by me to be an improvement thereupon.

The general interior construction of self playing pianos and organs is so well known that description thereof is unnecessary and it is needless to more than mention the fact that in many instances the different parts which are necessarily exposed for use during operation of the self-player mechanism may afterward be concealed. Usually, the upper front panel of these instruments is provided with a conveniently located clos able aperture through which the music-sheet or record may be correctly placed in position and the several player-controlling devices are located, together with means for their concealment, conveniently near the key-board so that it is not necessary for the operator to leave a. sitting posture to arrange these parts as desired. To open and close the aperture in the lower front panel and to arrange the pedals alternately in operable and concealable positions is usually inconvenienced and in many instances necessitates stooping or crouching on the part of the operator.

I have shown and will describe this invention in connection with a player-piano having a single side-movable closure for the pedal aperture in the lower front panel and a horizontally-movable rail at the upper forward edge of the key-bed (as described in United States Letters Patent No. 903,294, granted to me Nov. 10th, 1908) for concealing the manually-operable controlling devices.

Key-bed 1, lower frontpanel 2, pedal door 3, toe-rail t and bottonmboard 5 are parts well known and may be found in practically the same relative positions in all pianos of this type.

Pump-pedals 6, links 7 and side-arms 8 are pivotally supported and connected together in such a manner that they may be swung into the case or outwardly into operable position. The relative lengths of the parts are such and the pivotal points are so arranged that this swinging movement automatically causes the correct positioning of the pedals and links, as described in United States Letters Patent No. SMAOSygranted to me December Qdth, 1907. I shall hereinafter employ the term pedal mechanism when referring to the pedals and such attached parts as are necessarily exposed and concealed with them. Side-arms 8 are piv' otally secured at oneend at 10 and their opposite ends are firmly fixed to pedal hingebar S). At pivotal-points 10 I prefer to locate the axes of coiled springs 11 which act upon arms 8 to swing the pedal mechanism into the case.

To facilitate removal of the parts, 1 secure the simple mechanism which I employ for moving the pedals into and holding them in operable position upon that section of the bellows with which the pedal mechanism is otherwise connected. Shaft 20 is provided at one end with a fixed cog-wheel Q1 and at the other end with a radial arm 22 which may be formed as I have shown, by bending the shaft into a right-angle. A roller 23 is secured upon the free end of arm 22 and shaft 20 is held horizontally upon the bellows section by bearings 24: and '25 so that wheel 21 overhangs the edge of the section and roller 23 may be swung by arm 22 in the path of movement of one of sidearms 8 of the pedal mechanism.- A toothed rack 26 is held in mesh with cog-wheel 21 by guide 27 so that perpendicular movementof the rack will rotate the cog-wheel and shaft and swing arm 22. lVith the parts disposed as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. downward movement of the rack would cause down and forward swinging of arm 22 and consequent outward swinging of the pedal mechanism into operable position, and the parts would be disposed as shown in Figs. 2 and 4-.

Pedal door 3 is supported by track 12 upon the inner surface of lower panel 2 so that it may be alternately moved side-wise to open and close the aperture in the panel through which the pedal mechanism must pass in movement into and from operable position. I have shown track 12 as a strip of material of approximately the same thickness as door 3, having a tongue formed upon the upper and lower surfaces. The upper edge of the door is shaped to receive the tongue formed upon the lower surface of the track and the door is supported with the upper edge sufficiently close to the lower surface of the track by traveler 13 and ties 14. The lower surface of the traveler is shaped to receive the tongue formed upon the upper surface of the track. The described construction prevents displacement of the door from the track and at the same time prevents displacement of the lower edge of the door which may not be guided individually due to necessary movement of parts of the pedal mechanism across the path of that edge. For movement of door 3 alternately in opposite directions. 1 provide a lever 15 and a link 16 connecting one end of the lever with the door. The lever is pivoted at 17 upon a block 18 which is secured to the panel above traveler 13 and sufliciently thick to support the lever so that it may swing clear of the door and track. A spring 19 or its equivalent. may he attached to the lever to. move the door into closed position.

Manually-operable devices are usually arranged at the forward edge of the key-bed for controlling the interior mechanisms. At 351 have shown the forward ends of levers for this purpose and at 28 a rail which may be adjusted horizontally in front of the lovers to provide a substantial rest for the wrists. In this instance rail 28 is a section of the lock-strip or key-rail and the rear surface is hollowed out to permit the section to act as a cover for the ends of the lovers when in the position shown in Fig. 1. Bars 29 and 30 are held and guided within grooves in the key-bed and secured to the rail, supporting it for horizontal movement into the position shown in Figs. 2- and 6 to expose the levers for use and at the same time serve as a wrist-rest. As the opening of this lever-cover and wrist-rest forms a part of the preparation of the instrument for mechanical playing. I have devised a simple means for pushing the section forwardly through movement of some of the parts concerned with movement of the pedal door and arrangment of the pedal mechanism. A vertical shaft 31 is positioned within a bushing 82 in the key-bed and carries upon its opposite ends fixed pinions i3?) and 34. located respectively above and below the bed. A rack-bar 36, held in mesh with up per pinion 33 by means of flanged roller 35. extends forwardly through a guiding groove in fixed key-rail 37 and is bent upwardly at its forward end for contact with the middle part of the rear surface of movable rail :28. A closely similar bar 33 is positioned beneath the key-bed to mesh with pinion 2H and move in a direction transverse to that of bar 36. This bar 38 is guided and supported by flanged roller 39 and block it) and the left-hand end is bent downwardly for contact with a member which will he de cribed.

A slide s1. is supported for lateral move ment upon the under side of the law-bed by guides 4A and is provided upon its lower face with projections and 43 and at one end with anti-frietion roller 4-9. Bell-crank 45 is pivotally secured at 46 upon the under side of the key-bed forward of slide ll. (:110 of the arms extending rearwardly to etfecr movement of the slide in one direction by contact with roller l9 and the other arm extending transversely and provided with a handle 47. Door-moving lever 15 extends upwardly beyond its pivotal point 17 and carries at its upper end anti-friction roller 50. When. the pedal aperture is closed by door 3, roller 50 rests against or directly in the path of, slide-projection 42 so that, movement of the slide in the direction of the roller will move lever 15 upon its pivot-a1 point 17. to cause withdrawal of door 3 from the pedal aperture and in. completing such withdrawal the upper end of the lever will swing downwardly awsufiicient distance to move the roller from thepath of the projection and the roller will then bear upwardly upon the lower horizontal surface thereof, allowing continued movement of the slide to further carry the projectionrwithout disturbing the open position of door 3. A sec ond lever 52 is pivotally secured upon a fixed part of the instrument at 54 and connected by its outer swinging end with rack 26 by means of tie-rod 51.. Intermediate its ends, this lever carries anti-friction roller 53 and when the pedal mechanism is disposed within the case this roller is supported in the path of slide-projection43 by means of rack 26 and its connected mechanism. At or about the position of the slide at which the first-mentioned projection 42 has completed the door-opening movement of lever 15, the other projection 43 encounters-roller 53 and continued movement of the slide in the aforementioned direction will cause the inclined surfaceof the last-mentioned projection to press roller 53 downward from its path until the said roller bears upwardly upon the lower horizontal surface of the projection, thereby swinging lever 52 about its pivotal point 54- and accomplishing the desired arrangement of the pedals for use through downward movement of tie-rod 51 and rack 26. A third function is exercised by the slide during the latter part of its described movement. During the pedalarranging movement, the end of the slide encounters the downwardly-bent end .of rack-bar 38. Completion of the movement of the slide pushes the raclebar, revolves shaft 31 and moves the lever-cover. and wrist-rest into extended position. At this point handle 47 may be released and the bell-crank may be returned to its original position with the handle retracted beneath the 'ke v-bed as shownby dotted lines in Fig. 6. This return movement is preferably assisted by spring 48 which is attached by one end to the key-bed and by the other end to the bell-crank. Release of the handle after completion of themovement of the slide will not cause return movement of the slide. Such a return movement would allow return of the pedals and pedal door to original po sition and this result is reserved to be offected at the will of the operator through return movement of rail 28.

With the parts in the positions shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5, the operator may be seated before the instrument and, by reaching beneath the key-bed, grasp handle 47 and draw it forwardly, thereby expanding spring 48, swinging bell-crank 45 upon pivot 46 and forcing slide 41 rightwardly. Projection 42 accomplishes opening movement of door 3 by forcing roller 50 from its path and, immediately following this, pedals 6 are arranged in position for use through the downward forcing of roller 53 by the inclined surface of projection 43. Positioning of the wrist-rest and exposure of the-man ually-operable devices for use is effected as described by the latter part of movement of the slide.

hen it is desired to restore the parts to their original position, rail 28 should be moved inwardly to its position at the frontof the key-board. This causes bar 88 to push slide 41. A short leftward movement of the slide will cause the horizontal surface of projection 43 to be withdrawn from above roller 53 and allow the roller to start upwardly upon the inclined surface. Pedalmechanism-springs 11 will then be allowed to effect the disposition of the pedals and attached parts within the case and in sodo ing continue the leftward movement of slide 41 by the upward pressure of roller 53 upon the inclined surface of projection 43. By the time roller 53 has reached the limit of its upward movement and the pedals are disposed in their position within the case, projection 42 has been withdrawn from above roller 50 and the roller then bears upon the end of the projection. Doorclosing spring 19 is then allowed to effect closure of door 3 and in so doing completes the leftward movement of slide 41 by pressure of roller 50 against the end of the said pro jection. The slide is thus moved back to its original position with roller 49 close to the rearwardly extending arm of bell-crank 45, and rearrangement of the separate parts may be again accomplished by forward movement of handle 47 I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. In a musical instrument, the combination of pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, means for moving the mechanism into said position and selfacting means for moving the mechanism from said-position.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination of pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, self-acting means for moving the mechanism from said position and means for moving the mechanism into and holding it in said position against the action of said self-acting means.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure (28) for said opening, pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position and self-acting means for moving said mechanism from said position, of a device (41) for moving said mechanism into and holding it in said position operated through closing movement of said closure to permit movement of said mechanism by said means.

-:L. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure ('3) for said opening, means for moving said closure to close said opening and pedal mechanism movable in either direction through said opening, of a device (41.) for moving and holding said closure from said opening operated through movement of said mechanism in one direction to permit closing movement of said closure.

5. The combination, with a musical instrument case having a first and a second opening, a closure for said first opening, means for closing said closure and a closure for said second opening, of a device for moving and holding the closure from said first opening operated to permit closing movement of that closure through movement of the closure for said second opening.

6. In a musical instrument, in combination, a case having an opening, a closure for said opening, pedal mechanism movable in one direction through said opening into operable position and in the other direction through said opening from said position, means for moving said closure to close said opening, means for moving said mechanism from said position and a device for moving said closure from said opening and afterward moving said mechanism into said position and for permitting movement of said mechanism by said mechanism-moving means from said position and afterward permitting movement of said closure by said closure-moving means to close said opening.

7. In a musical instrument, in combination, a case having an opening, a closure (3) for said opening, pedal mechanism movable in one direction through said opening into operable position and in the other direction through said opening from said position, means for moving said closure to close said opening, means for moving said mechanism from said position, a second opening in said case, a closure (28) for said second openin and a device for moving the closure (3% from the first-named opening and after- 'Wflld moving said mechanism into said position and the closure (28) from said second opening which device may be operated through closing movement of the closure (28) for said second opening to permit movement of said mechanism by said,mechanism-moving means from said position and afterward permit movement of said closure (3) by said closure-moving means to close said first-named opening.

8. In a musical instrument, in combination, a case having an opening, a closure for said opening, pedal mechanism which may be moved in one direction through said opening into operable position and in the other dlrection through said opening from operable position, means for moving said closure to open and close said opening, means for moving said pedal mechanism in each of the said directions, a device to prevent movement of the pedal mechanism from operable position and to prevent closing movement of said closure and means for operating said device to permit movement of the pedal mechanism through said opening from operable position and, after permitting such movement, to permit closing movement of said closure.

9. In a musical instrument, the combination, with pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, a key bed and a movable rail above said bed, of means for moving said mechanism and causing the movement of said rail.

10. In a musical instrument, the combination, With pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, controlling devices and a closure for concealing and exposing said devices, of a device for moving said mechanism and causing the movement of said closure.

11. In a musical instrument, the combination, With pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, manually-operable devices and a movable rest or support adjacent said devices, of means for moving said mechanism and causing the movement of said rest or support.

12. In a musical instrument, the combination, with pedal mechanism movable into .and from operable position, a key bed and a movable rail above said. bed, of means for moving said mechanism into and holding it in said position operated through movement of said rail to permit movement of said mechanism from said position.

13. In a musical instrument, the combination, with pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, controlling devices and a closure for concealing and exposing said devices, of means for moving said mechanism into and holding it in said position operated through movement of said closure to permit movement of said'mechanism from said position.

14. In a musical instrument, the combination, with pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, manually-operable devices and a movable rest or support adiacent said devices, of means for moving said mechanism into and holding it in said position operated through movement of said rest or'support to permit movement of said mechanism from said position.

15. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure for said opening, a key bed and a movable rail above said bed, of a device for moving and holding open said closure operated through movement of said rail to permit closing movement of said closure.

16. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure for said opening, controlling devices and a second closure for concealing and exposingsaid devices, of a device for moving and holding open the first-named closure operated through movement of the secondnamed closure to permit closing movement of the first-named closure.

17. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure for said opening, manually-operable devices and a movable rest or support ad- ]acent said devices, of a device for moving and holding open said closure operated through movement of said rest or support to permit closing movement of said closure.

18. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure for said opening, pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, a key bed and a movable rail above said bed, of operable means for moving said closure and causing the n'lovement of said mechanism and said rail.

19. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure for said openin pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, controlling devices and a closure for concealing and exposing said devices, of means for moving the first-named closure and cansing the movement of said mechanism'and the second-named closure.

20. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a 010- sure for said opening, pedal mechanism mmable into and from operable position, mamtally-operable devices and a movable rest or support adjacent said devices, of means for moving said closure and causing the movement of said mechanism and said rest or support.

21. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure for said opening and pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, of means acting, upon movement in one direction, to move and complete the movement of said closure and afterward move said mechanism into said position.

22. In a musical instrument, the combination, with a case having an opening, a closure for said opening and pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, of a device for moving and holding said closure and for moving said mechanism into said position while holding said closure.

23. In a musical instrument, the combination, With a case having an opening, a closure for said opening, means for moving said closure to close said opening and pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, of a device for moving and holding said closure and for afterward moving said mechanism operated through movement of said mechanism from said position to permit closing movement of said closure.

24. In a musical instrument, the combination, With a case having an opening, a closure for said opening and pedal mechanism movable into and from operable position, of means acting, upon movement in one direction, to move and hold said closure and to move and hold said mechanism during the holding of said closure.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 7th day of July, 1909, in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

PAUL BROWN KLUGH.

Witnesses:

H. W J ARROW, N. D. TOBIN. 

